Ribs hurting, Ellsbury heading to Boston

By Chris Cox / MLB.com

ARLINGTON -- Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury will fly back to Boston on Saturday to have his ribs examined after colliding with Rangers starter Tommy Hunter during the first inning of Friday's 10-9 loss.

Ellsbury, who missed 95 games earlier this season after spending two stints on the disabled list with fractured left ribs, left Friday's game against the Rangers after the fourth inning with pain in his left side.

"Unfortunately, he managed to fall right on the same spot," manager Terry Francona said. "We're going to send him out in the morning. ... It's very concerning. The exam [trainer] Mike [Reinold] gave him is very concerning. We'll get him looked at as quickly as we can so we can try to make a decision to move forward."

Eric Patterson replaced Ellsbury, who was 0-for-3 with a run scored at the time.

Ellsbury took a hard fall during his leadoff at-bat of the game when he tumbled to the ground after crossing first base. He dribbled a soft grounder to Hunter, who raced to the bag for the out.

Ellbury reached in the fourth inning on second baseman Andres Blanco's fielding error before coming around to score in Boston's seven-run inning.

"They got tangled up and when he fell, he got his arm caught under him," Francona said. "It was the same exact spot. So he's pretty sore. We'll see."

Pedroia to begin rehab assignment Saturday

ARLINGTON -- Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has been cleared to begin his two-day rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Pedroia met with foot specialist Dr. George Theodore on Friday in Boston and got the news he needed.

"He got the go-ahead from the medical people. The doctors looked at him," manager Terry Francona said. "He's going to play second base [Saturday], play [designated hitter] Sunday, take Monday off because we have an off-day and hopefully join us on Tuesday."

The PawSox play the Buffalo Bisons on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at McCoy Stadium.

Pedroia originally went on the disabled list June 26 with a non-displaced fracture of the navicular bone in his left foot in a 5-4 loss to the Giants the day before. Now it appears that he'll finally be able to rejoin the Red Sox.

"Needless to say he was very excited," Francona said. "I got a text from him that said, 'I'm back.'"

Pedroia, who hasn't suffered any setbacks this week while running, is hitting .370 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 295 at-bats this season for the Red Sox.

Saltalamacchia reunites with former club

ARLINGTON -- With the Red Sox in Texas for a three-game series with the Rangers, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia was given the opportunity to reunite with the club that traded him two weeks ago.

The Red Sox acquired Saltalamacchia at the July 31 Trade Deadline from the Rangers for Minor Leaguers Roman Mendez and Chris McGuiness along with a player to be named later and cash.

Two weeks later, Saltalamacchia is already in the Major Leagues and in the ballpark where he played for the last four seasons.

"I'm excited to be back to see the guys again," Saltalamacchia said. "All in all, I'm just excited to be back up in the big leagues and getting a chance to play."

Saltalamacchia came to Texas by way of a trade with the Atlanta Braves when the Rangers sent Mark Teixeira to the Braves in exchange for Saltalamacchia and four others, including shortstop Elvis Andrus and closer Neftali Feliz.

Saltalamacchia provided the game-winning hit in the Rangers' Opening Day win over the Blue Jays but was placed on the disabled list two days later and never played for the club again.

"I didn't expect it this soon. But like I said, there's no bad blood there," Saltalamacchia said. "I spoke with [general manager Jon Daniels] and [assistant GM] Thad [Levine] ... today. I hope to see the guys and say hi to them. I think this is a great fit for me. It's a great opportunity for me. No hard feelings. I'm in a great place."

Added Rangers manager Ron Washington: "Salty still has ability at the big league level. They've been hurting in the catching department at the big league level and they feel like they have a quality guy. So they brought him up. It's not surprising. They have been after him for a while. I'm very happy for him and his family."

Saltalamacchia hit .243 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs for the Rangers. In two games with the Red Sox, he's 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

"I think it was just one of those things where I just didn't do it. Plain as day," Saltalamacchia said of his time in Texas. "I got some opportunities and I didn't run with it. It can go either way, but I'm looking to run with it here.

"I think they felt the same way I did. Change of scenery. They put me in a great place. They could have put me anywhere and they put me here. Boston has wanted me for a few years. I think they did me a favor putting me here."

Francona not concerned about Texas heat

ARLINGTON -- Manager Terry Francona isn't concerned about the hot temperatures the club will face in its three-game series with the Rangers.

Temperatures in Arlington are expected to be over 100 degrees each day during the set with highs near 105 degrees for the 3:05 p.m. ET finale on Sunday.

"We actually talked about it a little on the plane," Francona said. "We don't want it to become an excuse. That's silly. It's great baseball weather. As the same time, we're not in it every day."

"The relievers will go out and do their routine, sit out there for a little bit and come in," Francona said. "The position players come in anyway.

"Do you know what you're going to see? You're going to see more balls during batting practice sitting in the outfield a little longer -- because we'll have a few less bodies."

Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was with the Rangers before being traded to the Red Sox at the Trade Deadline, wasn't concerned about the heat either.

"There were a couple of questions about the heat here," Saltalamacchia said. "I think it's one of those things where if you play here all the time you get used to it. Teams from the West Coast come over here and it's a little tough. But I think we'll be OK."

Worth noting

The Red Sox have multihomers in each of their last three games with eight overall during that span. They've gone deep in 10 of the last 11 games overall. ... The Red Sox have won four of the last five season sets against the Rangers since 2005 and eight of 10 season series since '00. Despite that, Boston has lost five of six and six of eight at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Chris Cox is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.